Secretary of State Tillerson on reports White House trying to oust him: 'It’s laughable'

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is dismissing as "laughable" reports that the White House is trying to get rid of him. Tillerson was asked about the reports during a photo-op with the visiting Libyan prime minister. (Dec. 1)
AP

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday dismissed as “laughable” reports that the White House is trying to get rid of him.

Tillerson was asked about the reports during a photo-op with the visiting Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. Multiple news organizations, citing unnamed officials, have reported that the White House is considering replacing the former ExxonMobil CEO with CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Tillerson said twice, “It’s laughable,” but made no other comments to journalists before leaving the room.

The State Department has said Tillerson plans to remain on the job. He is scheduled to leave Monday on an official, four-country trip to Europe.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday also said President Trump continues to support Tillerson.

"When the president loses confidence in somebody they will not longer be here," Sanders said. "They are continuing to work together to close out what we’ve seen has been an incredible year."

The New York Times first reported Thursday that the White House has a plan, authored by Chief of Staff John Kelly, to oust Tillerson, and replace him with Pompeo. Pompeo would be replaced by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a hawkish ally of the president.

Asked Thursday if he wants Tillerson on the job, Trump said: “He's here. Rex is here.”

The news comes after a list of public disagreements between Tillerson and Trump.

Tillerson has sought to launch talks with North Korea to reverse its efforts to develop a nuclear bomb with which to threaten the United States. Trump on Oct. 1 tweeted that he was "wasting his time."

I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man...

Tillerson backed keeping the U.S. in the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by former president Barack Obama. Trump in October refused to certify that Iran is complying with the deal and left it in the hands of Congress.

Tillerson on Oct. 4 appeared before reporters to respond to a report by NBC News that he'd considered resigning his post and had called Trump "a moron" during a July 20 meeting at the Pentagon.

He did not deny that he called Trump a moron, but said "he wished to dispel this notion that I ever considered leaving."

Veteran Republicans and Democrats in Congress have been vocal in their complaints about the State Department’s loss of personnel since Tillerson took over, and about the dearth of new appointments to replace political appointees who left with the previous administration or who were forced out since.

Tillerson has presided over a reorganization process that he said would streamline operations, and Trump asked Congress to approve a 31% cut in the department's budget.

Such a plan would force the U.S. "to retreat from the world and put a lot of people at risk," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, in May. Implementing it would cause "a lot of Benghazis," Graham said.

Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in September expressed concerns about whether U.S. diplomats have the resources they need. U.S. diplomacy and assistance improves national security and economic well-being at a relatively small cost, Royce said.

Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement Thursday that while he has serious concerns about Tillerson’s performance at State, the fault for poor morale and unfilled positions at the department should rest at the feet of Trump.

“It’s clear that Donald Trump has been trying to undermine the Department and hollow out our diplomatic corps,” Engel said. “With his 31% budget cuts and the exodus of so many of our most senior foreign service officers, morale at the Department is hitting rock bottom.”

“Without skilled diplomats working on national security issues like North Korea, every American is less safe,” Engel added.

He urged Trump to strongly support the nation’s diplomats and to fully fund the State Department and U.S. foreign aid programs.